HGP Nightly News – The court has set May 20, 2026 for a report in the Mobil gas station bombing case, as legal proceedings continue in the matter that stunned the country and claimed the life of six-year-old Soraya Bourne.
When the case was called on Monday before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty, Legal Aid Attorney-at-Law Shellon Boyce, who is appearing for main suspect Daniel Alexander Ramirez Poedemo, asked for two weeks to prepare a proposal to be submitted to Prosecutor Mandel Moore before the next hearing.
The development comes after Poedemo, a Venezuelan national, had earlier admitted responsibility for the terrorist act during a previous court appearance. But despite that admission, the court has made it clear that his position does not automatically clear the six other accused who were also charged in connection with the bombing.
Those before the court are Wayne Corriea, Ramesh Pramdeo, Krystal LaCruz, Jennifer Rodriguez, Johnny Boodram, Alexander Bettancourt and Poedemo. The prosecution has maintained that Poedemo’s admission applies only to him, while the Acting Chief Magistrate has stressed that the future of the other defendants will depend on the Director of Public Prosecutions and the evidence available against each of them.
The bombing, which took place on Sunday, October 26, 2025, left deep scars across the country. A bomb was placed at the Mobil gas station at Regent and King Streets and later detonated, killing the young child, injuring several of her relatives and causing major damage to nearby buildings.
The case has also drawn attention because of the possible penalty if a conviction is secured. In the aftermath of the arrests, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond had said the State would seek the death penalty against Poedemo, while Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken had also stated that terrorism resulting in death carries capital punishment under Guyanese law.
